Method and apparatus for producing mineral wool



March 31, 1953 c; J. KOEHLER METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING MINERALWOOL Filed May 51, 1951 INVENTOR. Car/ J h oe/zler 'BY 9 am M iaPatented Mar. 31 1953 pUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR PRODUCING MINERAL WOOL Carl J. Koehler, Tonawanda, N. Y.

Application May 31, 1951, Serial No. 229,109

' verted into fibers by subjecting a molten stream of the slag to adisintegrating blast of high pressure steam. Mineral wool produced inthis general manner is known in the art as blown wool.

I An alternative means of converting molten mineral material into woolor fibers is by directing the molten material against the surfaces ofhigh speed rotors from which the material is thrown or spun bycentrifugal force, this force being such that the material is drawn outinto fiber, thread or strand form.

Certain advantages of fineness, uniformity and relative freedom fromobjectionable pellets known as "shot are attainable in this latterprocess which is called spinning and produces what the art terms spunwool." However, the attainment of these benefits by spinning the woolinstead of blowing is not without its technical difficulties, due inpart to the nicety of control and thejpractical necessity of convertingeconomical percentages of the molten slag into fibers.

' The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for spinningmineral wool in an improved manner which employs a simpler apparatus,and produces a higher yield of spun fiber of'good quality and fineness.The apparatus of the present invention is such that plural cooperatingrotors contribute to the production of fiber from a single slag streamwith relative freedom from interference between the slag stream and thefibers being formed and with maximum fiber production.

In spinning mineral wool fibers by throwing the material from rapidlyrotating rotors under centrifugal force a system of two or more rotatingbodies or wheels is most commonly employed. A-stream of molten slagfalls onto the surface of one wheel or rotor whereupon a certain part ofthe slag adheres to the surface of that wheel and the remainder orexcess is thrown onto the next wheel in the system, the several wheelsbeing properly positioned to receive the thus-deflected stream of excessmolten slag. This processis' repeated on each successive wheel surfaceuntil there is no remainder or excess of slag.

7 Claims (01. 18-25) The part of the slag that adheres to the wheel ineach case forms an incandescent ring of molten slag around the wheelfrom which numerous globules of melt are thrown by centrifugal force toproduce fibers from the still viscous molten slag. This centrifugalproduction of fibers takes place around the full circumference of thewheel.

In prior art attempts to produce spun wool whenevermore than onerevolving body or rotor has been used, the direction of rotation of eachsuccessive rotor has been opposite to that of the.

preceding rotor in the system. I have found that highly novel andsuperior results are obtained when all of the rotors are caused torevolve in the same direction, that is, all clockwise or allcounterclockwise.

In prior art proposals this possibility has not been exploited. Thisfailure may be attributed in part to two factors; first, the belief thata multiple rotor system must, in throwing slag from one rotor,accelerate it in the direction of movement of the periphery of the otherrotor; and, second, the difficulty of arranging multiple rotors in sucha way that they can be effectively rotated in the same direction andstill properly receive the slag streams and spin wool.'

The present invention provides a rotor arrangement which permits the useof three successive rotors operating in the same direction and I havefound that, with this arrangement and with the slag streams directedagainst successive rotors in a novel manner, the rate of fiberproduction of a system of three wheels, all rotating in the samedirection, is about equivalent to the rate of fiber production ofsystems in which it is necessary to employ four successive alternatelyrotating wheels or rotors to consume the deposited slag.

Previous prior art proposals have been based upon an assumed theory thatthe acceleration of the mineral melt from one wheel to the next and anaccumulation or buildup of such acceleration is beneficial to theefiiciency of the spinning process. I have found that the acceleration,per se, is not the important element but that the forceful applicationof the mineral melt to and against the rotating surface is veryimportant. The effect of increasing the force of impingement isachieved, in one instance, by caus-' ing the melt to strike the wheelsat an anglev greater than degrees to the tangent, or in such a mannerthat the direction of movement. of the melt upon impingement is to someextent reversed. It is believed that the conception of this principle isresponsible in an important part for the superior results obtained bythe present apparatus and method.

In the accompanying drawing and the following specification one form ofapparatus and one method of procedure according to the present inventionis set forth by way of example. It is to be understood, however, thatthis method and apparatus is merely illustrative and the principles ofthe present invention are subject to many variations Without departingfrom the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a general schematic front elevational view of one form of therotor arrangement of the present invention viewed from the side towardwhich the spun wool is ultimately blown; and

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference denote like parts and, referringparticularly to Fig. l, the numeral I designates a melting furnace forsupplying molten slag and any suitable type of cupola may be employed.The numeral II designates a discharge trough or spout through which amolten stream I3 of rock, slag, glass or mixtures thereof or othermaterials in a fluid state and suitable for conversion into mineralwool, glass wool, and like fibrous material by spinning, is conducted.

The rotors for fiber spinning are disposed beneath the trough I I inposition to intercept the falling stream l3 of molten material. Therotors receive and act upon the slag in a more or less successive mannerand the rotors are, in their successive order of operation, designatedI5, I6, and I1.

It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the stream of molten slag I3 falls tothe periphery of rotor I5 in such manner that it is moving partially inthe direction of movement of the periphery of the rotor. However, in thecase of the impingement of slag against rotors I6 and I1, successively,the angle of impingement of the slag against their peripheries issomewhat the reverse from that in the case of rotor I5. A line A extendsfrom the axis of rotor I6 tangent to the periphery of rotor I5, and itwill be noted that the somewhat fan-shaped stream of excess slag thrownfrom rotor I5 to rotor I6 strikes the latter behind this line A so thatthe direction of movement of the slag stream is, to some extent,reversed upon impingement of the periphery of rotor I6.

The construction line B extending from the center of rotor I1 andtangent to the periphery of rotor I6 shows substantially the samecondition with respect to excess molten slag thrown from rotor I6 torotor H.

The rotors I5, I6, and I! have mounting and rotating shafts 20, 2|, and22, respectively, and the bearing and support means for the shafts andtheir driving means are conventional and need not be illustrated herein.The rotors may be belt connected in the manner heretofore practiced inthis art, the only requirement being that all three rotors rotate in thesame direction.

It will be noted that the shafts ZI and 22 of rotors I6 and I! areparallel and in alignment but extend at a slight angle to the shaft 26of rotor l5 as viewed in plan. Accordingly a, vertical plane throughrotors I6 and I! at right angles tov their axes, as indicated at C inFig. 2, does not intersect the slag stream I3. which falls to the firstrotor I5 at substantially the point 4 marked D in Fig. 2. Thus the slagstream and the streams of spun wool extending from the peripheries ofrotors I6 and I! do not interfere with each other in any Way.

It is to be understood that a certain amount of the slag falling torotor l5 clings to its periphery temporarily while the remainder isimmediately deflected and fiung to or thrown against the periphery ofrotor I6. The slag which thus temporarily clings to rotor I5 appearsthereon as an incandescent ring extending about its periphery with spunfibers emanating therefrom at all points about the periphery of therotor quite uniformly. The same division of or a similar division of theslag occurs at rotor I6, whereas the slag thrown from rotor I6 to rotorI! has attenuated in volume at a point where substantially all of theremaining slag clings temporarily to rotor I1 and is converted intofibers.

The rotors are preferably provided with peripheral grooves as at 24 and25 in Fig. 2. While subject to considerable variation, V-grooves 1: inchWide and 1 5' inch deep have operated in a satisfactory manner.

Merely by way of example and to set forth a single full embodiment ofthe method and apparatus of the present invention, the rotors I5, I6,

and I'I'have operated within a fully satisfactory manner when theirdiameters were each about 9 inches, their face widths each about 4inches, and their speeds of rotation each about- 5000 R. P. M. orgreater. Increases in peripheral It is generally inherent in the rotorarrangement of the present invention, with three rotors rotating in thesame direction whether that direction be all clockwise or allcounterclockwise, that the excess slag from the second rotor will bethrown generally upwardly to the third rotor, the latter being disposedwith its axis somewhat higher than the axes of the first two rotors.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for spinning fibers from molten material comprising threesuccessively acting generally cylindrical rotors having facingperipheral portions, means for rotating said rotors at relatively highspeed in a common direction of rotation, means for dropping moltenmaterial on the upper portion of the periphery of one of said rotors,the second rotor being disposed laterally of said one rotor in thedirection of rotagenerally cylindrical rotors having facing peripheralportions, means for rotating said rotorsv at relatively high speed in acommon direction of rotation, means for dropping molten material on theupper portion of the periphery of one of said rotors, the second rotorbeing disposed laterally of said one rotor in the direction of rotationof the upper part of said one rotor to receive excess molten materialfrom the first rotor,

and the third of said rotors being disposed gen--.'

erally above said second rotor to receive the excess molten materialtherefrom, said second and third rotors being substantially coplanar andat an angle to the plane of the first rotor whereby the fiber spun bysaid second and third rotors is not in interference with molten materialdropping to the first rotor.

3. Apparatus for spinning fibers from molten material comprising threesuccessively acting rotors having facing peripheral portions, means forrotating said rotors at relatively high speed in a common direction ofrotation, means for dropping molten material on the upper portion of theperiphery of one of said rotors, the second rotor being disposedlaterally of said one rotor in the direction of rotation of the upperpart of said one rotor to receive excess molten material from the firstrotor, and the third of said rotors being disposed generally above saidsecond rotor to receive the excess molten material therefrom.

4. Apparatus for spinning fibers from molten material comprising threesuccessively acting generally cylindrical rotors having facingperipheral portions, means for rotating said rotors at relatively highspeed in a common direction of rotation, means for dropping moltenmaterial on the upper portion of the periphery of one of said rotors,the second rotor being disposed laterally of said one rotor in thedirection of rotation of the upper part of said one rotor with its axisapproximately intersecting a line tangent to the first rotor at thepoint where the molten materialis dropped thereon to receive excessmolten material from the first rotor, and the third of said rotors beingdisposed generally above said second rotor with its axis approximatelyintersecting a line substantially at right angles to said tangent toreceive the excess molten material therefrom.

5. Apparatus for spinning fibers from molten material comprising threesuccessively acting rotors having facing peripheral portions, means forrotating said rotors at relatively high speed in a common direction ofrotation, means for dropping molten material on the upper portion of theperiphery of one of said rotors, the second rotor being disposedlaterally of said one rotor in the direction of rotation of the upperpart of said one rotor with its axis approximately intersecting a linetangent to the first rotor at the point where the molten material isdropped thereon to receive excess molten material from the first rotor,and the third of said rotors being disposed generally above said secondrotor with its axis approximately intersecting a line substantially atright angles to said tangent to receive the excess molten materialtherefrom.

6. A method of making mineral wool from a molten mineral materialcomprising discharging a falling stream of the molten material againstthe upper peripheral portion of a generally cylindrical rotor whilerotating the same at a relatively high velocity to form an incandescentring of molten material thereon from a portion of said material,discharging the remainder of said material from the first rotor againstthe peripheral surface of a second rotor in a direction generallyperpendicular to the receiving peripheral surface while rotating saidsecond rotor at a relatively high velocity in the same direction as thefirst rotor to form an incandescent ring on the second rotor from aportion of the material so discharged, and discharging the remainder ofthe material from the second rotor against the peripheral surface of athird rotor in a direction generally perpendicular to the receivingperipheral surface while rotating said third rotor at a relatively highvelocity in the same direction as the second rotor to form anincandescent ring on said third rotor from substantially the remainderof said molten material.

'7. A method of making mineral wool from a molten mineral materialcomprising discharging a fallingstream of the molten material againstthe upper peripheral portion of a generally cylindrical rotor whilerotating the same at a relatively high velocity to form an incandescentring of molten material thereon from a portion of said material,discharging the remainder of said material from the first rotor againstthe peripheral surface of a second rotor in a direction somewhat opposedto the direction of movement of the receiving peripheral surface whilerotating said second rotor at a relatively high velocity in the samedirection as the first rotor to form an incandescent ring on the secondrotor from a portion of the material so discharged, and discharging theremainder of the material from the second rotor against the peripheralsurface of a third rotor in a direction somewhat opposed to thedirection of movement of the receiving peripheral surface while rotatingsaid third rotor at a relatively high velocity in the same direction asthe second rotor to form an incandescent ring on said third rotor fromsubstantially the remainder of said molten material.

CARL J. KOEI-ILER.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 521,371 Hewitt June 12, 18942,520,168 Powell Aug. 29, 1950 2,520,169 Powell Aug. 29, 1950

